The Tangled Webs We Weave
by KibaElunal
Summary: Though the monsters' assimilation into society seemed well, something somewhere went very, very wrong. A few weeks after Frisk's return, a pandemic targeting monsters dwindles the population. In desperate need for a reason, they turned on the humans. Now, Toriel's human resistance will take back their peace. But what happens when their best spy becomes entangled with their enemies?
1. Chapter 1

The Tangled Webs We Weave Ch. 1

AN: Hello everyone! Introducing my first Undertale fanfiction! I have an Overwatch one, so I figured Undertale would make a good balance. This takes place post pacifist run, on the surface world. I hope you guys enjoy! -Kiba

No one really remembers exactly why the war started. Everything seemed to be going great. The child who'd gone missing, Frisk, just suddenly showed back up with a bunch of monsters in tow. Unexpected, but we were more or less so relieved to find him unharmed that we didn't pay it much mind.

At first, life seemed to go back to normal, albeit with a few monsters sprinkled here and there. Then, as suddenly as they came, they began to die. Rumors were abound about why or how: supremacist cells going on rampages, some human based bioweapon, I myself was subscribed to the idea that after being down in that mountain for so long, they just weren't equipped to survive on the surface.

But to their king, Asgore, it didn't matter much. Lives were lost, and the newly released monsters were seeking someone to take responsibility. They chose humanity. Thus, the war began. They came at night, quickly dispatching just about everyone in the village with ease. Some of us, myself included, were rescued by Toriel, a monster who opposed Asgore's plans for war.

She insisted we find Frisk and let the kid try to convince Asgore to stand down, but the child had up and vanished again. We were given no choice any longer, we had to fight back. But, we refused to throw fuel on to the fire, instead electing to fight a war of subterfuge and espionage. In the shadows, we sabotaged monster attacks, planned out strategic assassinations, the works. It was like a game of chess, and we were trying to eliminate as few pieces as possible.

That's where my part of the story begins: Captain Araen Mygalo, of the Corps of Human Unity with Monsters Pals…or as our commander Toriel calls us, C. H. U. M. P. s. Her and that damned skeleton have the worst jokes. To be honest, I don't necessarily trust him, but if Toriel says he's okay, then I'll play by her judgment.

So, now that you have that background, it may not be so surprising to find that our story starts in a very inconvenient place: dangling upside down by my ankles, surrounded by arachnids with some abomination of a muffin clambering closer towards me.

Actually...I'm sorry, I know we're jumping around a bit. Let's take a few steps back again. That night, word had been passed from our sources that there was an opening that would allow us to get inside of the castle that the monsters had managed to commandeer shortly after the war started. They'd blown through our king's guards and defenses with ease, and with the castle they had the advantage. If we could get a guy on the inside, we could not only find out their plans, but eventually even be able to mount a quick uprising while our enemy rested. When that happened, we'd be able to end the war quickly and decisively.

So, naturally, as Captain the job was handed to me to infiltrate the castle. "Be careful," Toriel warned me as I began to clamber into the sewers. I looked up at her worried expression with a big grin.

"I'll be fine. Once this war's over, save a piece of cinnamon butterscotch pie for me, okay?" She nodded, her hands clasped together as I gave her a friendly two-finger salute and slid down the ladder to land in the water with a quiet splash.

Freezing, I waited patiently to see if the sound of rushing footsteps would signal I'd given away my position. When nothing was heard, I climbed on to the concrete walkway, and slowly made my way through the labyrinthine pipes.

I had to admit, the glowing fungus and flowers that had invaded from the caverns when the monsters came to the surface were helpful in slipping through the dark tunnels without having to worry about detection from a torch's light. My ears craned to hear any sound of life, but so far there was nothing. This was a good sign, it meant that the information we'd received was good.

My heart was pounding in my chest as I shambled onward, glancing at the map occasionally. According to the guide, I'd be coming upon a large antechamber, just beneath a small passageway that led to a maintenance hatch hidden within a storage chamber.

It was then that I felt something tug at my ankle. As an impulsive reaction, I turned, hand springing away from the danger, only to find that it had simply been a cluster of cobwebs. I'd been surprised by the strength of their grasp, and when I stepped back from them cautiously, it was then I realized that I'd managed to end up in an even bigger pod of them.

"What is this?" I muttered to myself, my ankle having become entwined in the many threads. Slipping my foot from my shoe, I heard a girlish giggle from the shadows. My eyes darted around nervously, but I could see nothing save the darkness. That was when I realized there was no fluorescence here. I was blind in this chamber any where further than a few yards in front of my face.

I quickly pounced to the wall, attempting to climb the thick webs that coated their sides like ladders. That however did not work out for long. "Oh look, a guest," the giggle echoed around. "I wasn't aware we'd be joined for tea."

Tea? Sure enough, the scent of herbal steam began to waft upwards from an unseen source. It was soothing, almost mesmerising, but I quickly shook myself of such thoughts. Drinks could come after I saved my people.

Reaching upward, I threw myself, grasping another thick strand. "And so nimble too," she mused. "Ah well, we know how to handle humans, don't we lovelies? After all...they step on us…" I found another hold, pulling myself up. "Swipe us away." Another one found, another foot gained on the perch. "Tear off our legs," the voice cooed, "but worst of all…" When I'd managed to just get close enough to the manhole, her next words sent a shiver down my spine. "They don't even stay for tea. What's a girl to do?"

Suddenly the thread I'd stood on was jerked hard, sending me tumbling down the sheer surface towards the harsh concrete floor. I was ready for my end, until my fall slowed and I bounced slightly.

My arms were bound to my sides, like a cocoon. The gratitude for which rested with the layer of sticky webs that had been hiding behind the wall of web I'd climbed. I kicked myself for not having noticed it when I was climbing. This was clearly a trap. "What should we do to this rude, human?" the voice asked to no one in particular.

"Brew him," a high pitched squeak echoed just beside me, causing me to quickly jerk my head away.

"Drain him!" another rang.

"Strip him of his flesh!"

"Bake him in a cake!"

Every option just became more and more gruesome, before the first voice chimed in again. "I've got an idea," she cackled gleefully. Suddenly there was a flicker of flames, revealing a cute face, framed by black hair tied up into two short pigtails. The surprising aspect wasn't her sudden closeness to me, as much as it was that she had five pure black eyes positioned in different places above her fanged grin. "I think the human deserves a kiss." The other voices began to chitter in agreement as she held the candelabra higher to examine me. I could see her better now. She had six arms, three on each side, in addition to the two legs she was perched upon.

"Release me," I stated firmly. "My mission does not concern you, so you will at least be guaranteed safety upon my freedom." She giggled again, sending the bright red ribbon around her neck to bob up and down with her petite breasts.

"How absolutely adorable!" she cooed, pouring herself a cup of tea with two of her free arms, using a third to lift the cup to her lips. Sipping it politely, her finger extended, she placed it back on the porcelain saucer before she leaned closer to look at my face. Each of her five eye blinked in turn, though they closed horizontally rather than vertically. "Tell me, human. If I let you go, will you stay with me for tea?"

"No," I answered. "I have more important things to do than have tea with you."

"How rude," she declared, placing one hand over her chest in feigned offense. "Ah well, a kiss I decided, and a kiss you shall have. What do you think dearies?" Again the chittering surrounded me. As I began to wriggle in an attempt to get to my knife so I could cut free, she reached out and tapped my nose playfully with one long digit. "Now, now. Struggling is futile, human. You should just relax. My webs are comfortable, aren't they? Enjoy yourself...while you still can."

She began to lean closer to me, two of her hands reaching outward to rest on my cheeks. I wasn't certain what she meant by a kiss, but I knew I didn't want to find out. I tried to turn away, but with a forceful turn, she pulled me to face her, and placed her lips on mine firmly.

There were hoots and cheers from the voices, as a stinging pain went through my lips. She'd bit me! I could feel venom injecting into my body, before she at last pulled away. "Sweet," she noted before drinking more tea. "I'm almost sad that I won't get the opportunity to taste that again. But...snacks are best shared. Come now pet," she giggled, clapping two hands together.

Pet? What pet? A low rumbling came from beneath me and staring through the grate, I could see by the flickering flames the fanged maw of a beast that wasn't quite spider, but wasn't quite muffin either. What in Gods' names was that thing?!

I could feel my body growing numb from her bite, and I continued to squirm in an attempt to free myself while I still could. It was clear that the mission had been compromised by this ambush. They'd known I was coming and set up an attack to meet me.

Right, so where things start to get interesting. Knew we'd get here eventually. If you're scared for my safety, don't be. It's a tad hard to tell my story if I get chomped by that thing. Anyway, where was I…Ah, yes!

My head began to spin, but be it from the blood rushing to my head or her venom, I couldn't know. However, there was one advantage from my position. I'd managed to slip my dagger out of its sheathe and was cutting away at my bonds quickly, even better, neither the spider girl or the other voices had seemed to notice.

With the sticky webs cut to pieces, I'd have the opportunity to bolt, leaving me to find a new point of entry later. While they were searching the sewers for me, I could easily hide and find another way inside. They'd either assume I passed out in the water and drowned, or better, that I fled from the castle altogether, requiring them to go on a man hunt.

Just as the beast's jaws were about to snap shut on my head, I used the gap that I'd cut to kick the wall and send me swinging out of its clutches. The spider woman spit out her tea in surprise. As she coughed up the tea she'd accidentally inhaled from the shock, I quickly freed myself completely, rushing towards her. I had to buy myself some time.

"No, wait!" she cried at me, holding out two hands defensively as I came upon her. Slamming into her chest with my shoulder, the tea set clattered to the ground from her hands, and the frail girl was tackled into the far wall. "St-stop!" she begged, but I wasn't listening.

The dizziness was getting worse and it wouldn't be long until I was out. Firstly, I had to keep her from chasing after me when I ran, so grasping the webs that covered the sticky ones, I quickly grabbed each of her arms, pulling them over her head and binding them together. "See you," I whispered tauntingly. "Thanks for the offer, but I'll pass on tea."

"Wait, don't leave me here...you can't…!" Taking another thick strand of web, I wrapped it around her mouth, silencing her mid complaint. Turning on my heels, I then began to run, my feet pounding against the pavement.

As I fled the room, I could still hear her muffled cries. Maybe it was the fact that she sounded so scared, even with me absent, or maybe it was the intoxicating effect of her venom reminding me of her 'kiss', but I turned to look over my shoulder.

Her 'pet' was advancing on her, licking its chops eagerly. This is what she deserved, I told myself. She wouldn't have shown you mercy when you were in that position. You could just leave and no one would ever know. There'd be nothing left of her.

"Damn it!" I growled, drawing my dagger and rushing back in. I had three minutes tops, I estimated. Once this abomination was dispatched, it was back to my first plan. Run, hide, wait for another opportunity. All five of her eyes shut tightly as she let out a suppressed scream, bracing herself for the end.

With a flick of my wrist, the metal blade spun through the air, stabbing into the side of the muffin spider's cheek, causing it to let out a bellowing roar right into her face. Opening one eye, she seemed confused as it turned to look at me. Well, I'd managed to get its attention now. Now what? Run, my mind commanded me, but I knew the girl wasn't safe until this thing was out of commission.

As it came towards me, I drew more daggers. I hoped I could still aim straight considering the way the room was spinning around me. I hurled my knives one after another into the creature, but it only seemed to make him that much angrier. This wasn't working! It was like this thing couldn't be killed.

Turning to a nearby wall, I scrambled up the side towards the roof. Every movement made my stomach lurch as I clung to the webbing desperately. Come on, I pleaded. Just a little more!

Sure enough, the monstrosity was moving behind me and gaining fast. When it was almost upon me, that's when I put my plan into action. Kicking from the wall, I tore a large sheet of web away, falling towards the ground below. It went over the beast's confused head, causing it to let out a puzzled growl before realizing what would happen.

My descent slowed slightly, but I couldn't grip the web anymore and crashed hard to the ground with a pained grunt. As I groaned weakly, I looked up to watch as the muffin-spider thing rolled quickly down the wall, trying to find footing but only tearing more sticky web with it. When it reached the ground, it looked like someone had made the largest ball of yarn out of sticky, glistening silk.

"You...owe me…" I grunted to the woman, picking up her candelabra and getting to my feet. A black shifting mass of spiders moved to intercept my way out, but holding the candles' flame in front of me, the parted in fear to let me through as I shambled slowly through the sewer.

It wouldn't be long now. My eyes closed, causing me to stumble and fall to my stomach. My source of light clattered from my hands to land in the slow flowing water with a plop. Opening my eyes once more, I used what miniscule strength I had to drag my body down a side duct, propping my back against the wall with a hiss.

I wasn't far enough, I knew. When the guards came to investigate, she'd easily be able to lead them towards me. Damn it, damn it, damn it all to hell! "Sorry Toriel," I managed to mumble before I sagged limply onto my side, closed my eyes, and fell fast asleep.

* * *

"You...owe me…" the man had said, before taking the candles and moving to leave. My pretties went to stop him of course, but I knew they wouldn't succeed. Fire and spiders often don't mix, much like the cold.

He stumbled through the halls, and I couldn't help but feel a soft grin come upon my lips. My venom was still working through his system. It wouldn't be long until he was out like a light, then our little dance would resume. It was hard to teach my pet friend from foe, and the best luck I'd had was getting it to go after things tangled in the webs.

Never in my wildest dreams, did I think that I'd end up on the menu for his meal. I was certain that my party would have ended, but for whatever reason, the human came back and tried to kill my pet.

Foolish, of course. My pet was a work of art and, try as one might, one can't kill art. I turned to look at the large ball that encased my sweet pet. I hadn't had such clever prey in a long time...perhaps boiling him in tea was the better option. My tea! I realized with a disappointed whine as the cracked pot that had fallen from the table guzzled out the delicious brown liquid into the sewer.

Opening my lips, I began to use my adorable little fangs to gnaw through the webbing that gagged me. When it came free, I let out a disgusted blech before spitting the horrid taste out of my mouth. "Come to me, pretties," I called out. "Please help untie my wrists."

"Yes ma'am," they sang cheerfully, scrambling up the walls to begin cutting and biting at my bonds. Once I was free, I massaged each of my wrists in turn.

"Wait here," I instructed, going in the direction I'd seen the intruder leave in. "Come on, prey...where are you?" I murmured, my shoes clicking along the stone. It still surprised me how quickly I readjusted to the dimness of the underground. Sure, the sewers weren't ideal, but it beat the fate of those 'risks' that decided to stay in the castle once it was captured.

I was fairly certain that Asgore had gone completely mad. Starting a new war with the humans was one thing, turning on the monsters he felt weren't dedicated to his cause was insanity. So I'm a tad more fiscally minded, that doesn't necessarily mean I'd sell out my home for a few handfuls of money. I'd already gotten the spider clans united, what did I care for money now?

But Asgore had ordered my execution anyway, so I fled in the storage closet, found the secret passage into the sewers, and hid out there ever since, setting up my web traps for any monster foolish enough to try to come after me.

I was shocked that a human managed to find my home before Asgore did, but then again humans always were a rather clever bunch. Either way, he'd seen my hide out, and that meant if the humans didn't come after us once he woke up, then it was entirely possible that the monsters would capture him and torture the information from him. This was a risk to my pretties that I just could not afford to take, regardless of owed favors.

Rounding the corner, my eyes flushed open and shut in sequence, allowing my gaze to pierce through the dark. There was no sign of the candle's light, but that meant little. He wouldn't have been able to get back to the surface, not after the dose I'd injected him with.

My tongue ran over my lips once more, tasting him on them still. It wasn't a bad flavor. Bold, with a just a dash of spice to set the flatness off. With a tinge of sweetness, and maybe a small bit of smooth cream, the flavor would be absolutely divine. Just thinking about it sent chills through all of my limbs.

Stepping further, I managed to see a strange out of place shape, just jutting out of an offshoot. Sure enough, it was the back of the man's head, now resting on the ground. Rubbing my hands together, I prepared to get to work.

Grasping his arm, I let out a grunt of effort as I began to drag him towards the water. I was a lady, after all, and a lady does not get herself messy by doing the brutal murders directly. No, instead I'd drop his sleeping body into the current, and the sewers would take care of the rest.

A few gulpfulls of sewage, and it'd be bye, bye for the human, and without the hassle of cleaning a mess too! Carefully stepping over the pass, I tugged again, his boots scraping against the ground in resistance to my pulling.

So I wasn't very strong physically, but I hadn't expected him to be this heavy, even as dead weight. I was trying to avoid falling into the sewage, but it was hard to maintain a grip on his wrist at my angle.

I scratched my chin in thought before jumping back across. Maybe if I just rolled him into the water, it'd be easier. Leaning closer to him, I slid four of my arms beneath him, the other two falling to my side to help brace my knees, for extra leverage.

Gritting my fangs in effort, I began to try to shove him, but I froze when I heard him mutter something beneath me. What had he said? Tilting my head to hear him better, he wheezed out again, "Toriel."

Toriel? He knew the queen?! I'd just assumed she'd been one of the first that the king exterminated when he went on his rampage. But...if she was alive then that meant…! I clapped my hands excitedly. Yes! With her help, we could get some sense into Asgore, then maybe we'd be able to get out of this smelly sewer and back into the world we'd attempted to become a part of.

There was, however, one tiny little snag in my plan. Gazing down at said snag that still slumbered peacefully, I sighed. Pulling my arms out from under him, I brushed his hair from his face with a smile. I always did love the way they looked when they were out from my venom.

Weaving quickly, I spun him a small stretcher and rolled him onto it. Grasping the silken rope near its front, I began to tug him, just a little at a time, back towards my pretties. This would definitely work. This would work very well indeed.

To be continued...


	2. Chapter 2

The Tangled Webs We Weave Ch. 2

My head throbbed as the world began to come into focus. Blinking, I found that my eyes had now adjusted to the dim light of the cave. Trying to move, I found myself wrapped in webs, keeping me stuck to the small chair. What the hell was going on? I squirmed in an attempt to escape, before a bellowing roar echoed from down below. "I'd stop doing that if I were you," a familiar voice giggled playfully. "He was not too happy about being wrapped up in all that webbing."

Staring straight ahead at the coquettish spider woman, I could see that we sat at a round table similar to what you'd find at a cafe. It was set nicely, a yellow flower in its center beside a candle that flickered in the breeze of the tunnels, and a white tablecloth that dangled over its edges evenly. She clearly put a lot of effort into making it presentable. "I know the sentiment," I shot back. "Were these really necessary?"

"Such precautions are always necessary when dealing with humans. What if I'd left you free and when you woke up you tried to throw a knife into my adorable little face? You could really hurt me, and we wouldn't want that would we?" She put a finger to her lips cutely, as she asked her question.

"That remains to be seen," I replied menacingly. "Now, if you please…"

"Hmm...no," she smirked before cackling gleefully. "No, I don't think I _want_ to let you go. You don't strike me as the kind of human who'd know how to behave during tea while in the presence of a lady." To punctuate her point, she placed her porcelain cup to her lips and sipped quietly. "Don't worry about the teapot you broke, by the way," she suddenly said. "I have a spare."

"Oh, that's good. That's a load off of my mind," I griped sarcastically. "Look, Missus…"

"Miss," she interrupted.

I sighed. "Miss…"

"You can call me Muffet," she beamed. "What's your name, my darling prey."

"Well it's not 'darling' and it's certainly not 'prey'. I'm Captain Mygalo from the Corps of Human United with Monster Pals, and again I request you release me so that I may continue my mission."

"That's a mouthful. What is your mission?"

"Confidential."

"No fun, I see," she mused. "Would you care for a cup of tea? I apologize for not offering earlier, however I fear that being unconscious you were unable to tell me how you take it."

"And give you another opportunity to poison me? Pass."

"If I wanted you dead, you'd be dead," she pointed out. "Besides, use poison in perfectly good tea? A lady such as myself would never be so barbaric. So, Captain Mygalo, got a first name? And please, don't tell me it's actually Captain or I may genuinely weep for you."

"Araen. What about you? A first name or were you just named after a nursery rhyme?"

"Nursery rhyme?" she asked confused.

"Little Miss Muffet, sat on her tuffet, eating her curds and whey. Down came a spider who sat down beside her and scared the poor girl away. I just imagined you parents were being ironic."

"Wouldn't know," she admitted. "Never met my mother. She died far before my time."

"Let me guess...Charlotte?"

She blinked in surprise. "You knew my mother?"

I rolled my eyes. "Another popular children's story about a spider: Charlotte's Web. Seriously? I get you guys have been underground for a while, but I didn't expect you to be underground for _that_ long of a while."

A flash of anger crossed her features, but with one sip of her tea, she'd managed to recollect herself again. "It was not our choice to live underground," she calmly stated. "Just as it has now, a misunderstanding caused war between monsters and humans, and it resulted in us being trapped for over a hundred years. I'm sure you know the story."

"You never answered my question. Is Muffet your first name or last name?"

"Yes."

"...what?"

"It is both my first and last name."

"Really? Muffet Muffet?"

"Just 'Muffet'," she corrected, spooning another lump of sugar into a fresh cup of tea.

"Okay then," I sighed. "Muffet, why is it you're keeping me alive? If you're expecting me to spill any secrets of the resistance, you should prepare to be disappointed."

"Oh, you spilled plenty," she giggled. "Did you know you talk in your sleep? It is so very cute."

"Not a chance. I wouldn't have…"

"Your leader is our old Queen, Toriel," she interrupted calmly. Her five inky eyes gleamed mischievously. Noting my expression, she grinned. "Surprised? I am many things, but first and foremost, I am a lady and a lady is always truthful."

"Right...you're no lady, lady."

With a snap of her fingers, I was instantly swarmed with a flood of spiders, all of them hissing menacingly. Standing up, she moved to the other side of the table where I sat, perching herself on the edge and crossing one leg over the other. Taking one last sip of her tea, she turned setting down her cup before with a quick movement slapping me hard across the face. "Foul brute," she growled. "You will treat me with the level of respect and politeness afforded by a gentleman, or else…"

Glaring up at her, I could feel the stinging pain in my cheek. It had done little for the disorienting aftereffects of her venom. "If you'd wanted me dead, I'd be dead already," I reminded her. I didn't know what bargaining chip I had, but if I could poke and prod at her until she broke, I'd get a second shot at leaving.

"Then you are lucky I haven't changed my mind after such a rude comment." As the spiders scrambled away from me, she leaned closer, her many eyes staring into mine. To be honest, it was hard to pick a pair to focus on. "Now, are you willing to behave? I have questions, and a _gentleman_ would answer a lady's inquiries honestly."

"I told you, be ready for disappointment. It'll take more than a few hisses and slaps to make me spill on the resistance."

Her lips pouted cutely as her hands folded in her lap. "Why won't you tell me?" she asked. "I've been nothing but well-mannered."

I looked at her incredulously. "You tied me to a chair," I stated.

"If I cut you free, would you answer my questions?"

My eyes flickered to the exit briefly before staring back into her pretty face. "Yes," I lied. If she was really foolish enough to let me go, I'd gladly surrender the title of gentleman for that shot.

She clapped her hands gleefully with her signature giggle. "Why didn't you say so?" she asked, moving behind me. After a few moments, the bonds sagged from my chest allowing me to finally stand and stretch my legs. "You'll answer my questions now, right?"

"Sure," I replied, limbering up for my escape. She watched me curiously for a few moments.

"What are you doing?" she questioned.

"Stretching," I replied.

"Why?"

"I'm a little stiff after being tied to a chair by a crazy spider…" I paused as her cheeks puffed in irritation, "lady," I finished. Immediately, her smile returned as she perched herself back on the table formally.

"Okay, so...question one: What was this super secret mission of yours about?" she demanded.

"Well, the first thing you need to know is…" I began, before leaving it there and bolting towards the exit. Just as I got there though, thin purple coated webs that were barely visible surrounded me. I once more became tangled with a huff.

"Well that was rather rude," Muffet commented, walking towards me with a sway in her hips. "I trusted you and you lied to me. Tsk, tsk, tsk. I see I'm going to have to teach you some etiquette as we go along."

"Go along?" I grunted, working to struggle, but the purplish coating seemed to soak into my skin, making me feel all numb and dizzy again. But more than that, it filled the air with a sweet scent. "Go along where?"

"Back to your camp, of course," she purred, caressing my cheek with one hand. I found myself leaning into her touch, before I caught myself and quickly shook my head to clear my senses. "Just relax," she cooed. "Breathe in, nice and deep."

"Why would I ever take you back to camp?" I demanded.

"You don't have a choice," she giggled. "My perfumed webs can turn even a rude savage like yourself into a noble-hearted soul." Noting my scowl, she just smiled back. "Oh, don't be so blue, my sweet human. Just remember, I gave you a chance to do this voluntarily. As much as I'll enjoy having you hang on to my every word, the thought of you drooling with desire is...less than appealing."

"Won't happen," I grunted.

"Oh? Why not?" she huffed. "I hope it's not because you think you can cut your way free with that knife you had stashed in your bracer. Or the one tucked in your boot. Or the spare on your thigh. Or…"

"I get it," I groaned. "You took away all of my knives. I'm telling you though, this won't work. I've got a bit more willpower than that. Think of how long I managed to stay awake after your 'kiss'. This is little more than a cheap parlor trick." I berated, my body squirming uncomfortably in the bonds. I was beginning to feel really warm now, my vision becoming hazy while the tingling liquid dripped into my hair and down my forehead.

"Now it feels like you're trying to hurt my feelings," she whimpered, sending a pang of guilt through my chest. It hurt to see her so heartbroken. "Why are you so mean to me? Are you like this to all the cute girls you meet, or just me?"

I didn't say anything. This time, I just wanted to focus on my breathing so that I could keep concentrated on not falling under her spell. It was not going well. She stepped closer, a slight sway in her lithe hips, clad in pantaloons as she ran a finger absently along my chest.

"It's working now, isn't it?" she murmured. "You're completely flushed. Soon, you'll start having all sorts of improper thoughts, but I suppose that can't be helped. What a curse beauty truly is for a lady, but I bear it with quiet dignity."

She was beautiful, I had to agree, if you're into the six-armed kind of girls. Wrapping the top pair around my neck, she leaned forward, her scent mingling with the perfume's intoxicating vapors. "Let me go...please?" I requested, shuddering in her embrace.

"Shh," she hushed. "It's okay. You belong to me now, so don't fret. You're going to be my perfect darling gentleman, and in return, I'll contemplate not draining you dry and putting you into a pastry of some sort."

I nodded slowly in understanding as I sagged against her, grateful for the feeling of a small peck on my cheek from the cute spideress. "Okay," I surrendered finally. "I'll do it...I'll take you to the camp."

She beamed, clapping her hands excitedly. "Excellent; thank you. See what happens when you're polite? We can reach a compromise. Keep it up and maybe I'll even let you take me dancing."

"I'd like that," I slurred, and worse I actually meant it.

"Oh, I know you would," she giggled. "Once I finish my cup of tea, we can go, agreed?"

"Sure," I whispered. "Take all the time you need. I wouldn't want you to rush on my account."

"Aww, you're a sweetheart," she taunted, sipping from her cup, the impish grin never leaving her lips.

* * *

It wasn't long after that, that I'd cut down my poor prey. As expected, the special webs I'd made now kept him nice and docile and they'd continue to do so for a few more hours. As we walked, I pressed closer to him, three of my thinner arms around his more muscular one. If I was going to make him play the part of gentleman, then I'd have to, of course, be escorted like a lady.

"So," I murmured, trying to think of a subject of conversation. The silence had become awkward between us shortly after leaving behind my pretties. "What's it like?"

"Hmm? What's what like?" he asked.

"Being human, of course. You have something none of us monsters have, something that allows your SOUL to persist after death."

"I genuinely have no idea what you're talking about," he replied simply. "As far as I know, being a human is just like being a monster, except we don't live anywhere near as long. Also, we don't have your crazy SOUL destruction powers."

"As far as you know," I grumbled, thinking back to the many close calls I'd had between the other humans who'd wandered into the Underground before Frisk. When the blanket of awkwardness returned, I continued with my questions. "So your mission…?"

"Confidential," he stated, turning to smile at me. "Sorry."

I pouted at him. It must have been something he sheltered strong enough that he wouldn't ever tell me if he could help it. My perfumed web was a lot of things, but it wasn't perfect. "Do you have any questions for me?"

"A few," he confessed. "Though, I'm not going to pry. That would be impolite."

I grinned at his words before nudging him with my hips. "I don't mind," I swore. "Ask away."

"Why do you hate humans?"

I blinked in confusion. "I don't hate humans," I replied. "I mean...I don't like it when they're rude or selfish, but I don't _hate_ them. Just the opposite, at times. Frisk was very nice when we first met. He helped me reunite the spider clans by giving me enough money to afford a heated limo that could carry them to the Hotlands safely."

"My mistake then, sorry."

"It's okay. Out of curiosity, why did you think I hated humans?"

"You tried to kill me," he pointed out.

"Well...yeah. Sorry about that. Wait...Hey! You tried to kill me, too, you know?! You can't lay all of that on me. I don't think you hate monsters!"

"You attacked me first."

"You broke into my house."

"You don't live in a house."

"So? You don't just waltz into someone's home."

"I didn't know you were there," he admitted. "Your ambush came as a shock to me."

"Can we just agree to disagree?" I asked, exasperated. "It doesn't matter who started it, because it's over now. I won, your heart belongs to me, stories over."

"You haven't won yet," he replied, causing me to come to a stop.

"What does that mean?"

"You haven't won until the resistance is gone."

The way he said it so matter-of-factly sent shivers through my body, and rather than be repulsed from him, I actually pressed closer for warmth in the chilly tunnels. I could still feel the warmth that exuded from his body thanks to my webs, and it was wonderful shelter from the cold breeze. "Any other questions?"

He thought about it for a moment, opening his mouth to talk, before he suddenly turned, wrapping his arms around me protectively. "We need to go back," he whispered.

"What? Why?" I demanded. "You're supposed to be escorting me to…" A bright beam of green energy lanced just between us, slicing off a bit of my hair and causing me to give a surprised squeak.

"Go, go!" he shouted, shoving me forward as we began running through the tunnels, ducking and diving between the spears as they appeared. All around us bits of brick and rubble began to rain down, leaving a fine cloud of debris in the air.

He quickly pushed me into an offshoot, the two of us taking cover as spears sailed past the opening. "Is that Undyne?" I hissed. "What is Undyne doing here?!"

"Looking for me," he muttered, holding out his hand towards me.

I stared at it for a moment. "What? You want me to hold your hand?"

"No, I want a knife," he explained, sniffing the air.

"What are you doing?" I wondered, rummaging in my pockets for one of his weapons.

"I can smell her before I can hear her, typically," he replied.

"Bad news. The knives are on the table."

"Good news," he countered. "I think she's going the wrong direction."

That's when I noticed behind him a series of lights beginning to flicker into existence. "Erm...Araen…" I whimpered, pointing with a trembling hand. His eyes turned to follow my gaze just as more continued to glow before an simple red heart was formed from the lights.

"Should have known," he muttered. "Where there's one…"

A spotlight suddenly shined down on us from the constructs head, making us shield our eyes before a robotic voice boomed from the speaker on his chest. "HELLO, LADIES AND GENTLEMEN! Mettaton here as your host! Let's give a hand to our two lovely contestants!" An applause track echoed loudly through the mines, as the captain grimaced beside me.

"This is bad! Go, now!" He cried, letting me run ahead of him before following up behind me.

"Uh oh! What's this fans? It looks like our contestants are a little shy! You know what the best cure for stage fright is? Cold-blooded murderous terror to wash it all down!" Lasers blasted wildly around us from the charismatic killer robot.

Spears lanced upward in front of us cutting off our route, and when we attempted to turn back, Mettaton stood there juggling a cluster of hand grenades. "Any ideas?" I whimpered.

"Still thinking," Araen replied, his eyes darting around the sewers as the clanging of armor sounded behind us. Now we were completely surrounded by Undyne and Mettaton, but then they stopped. "Hello, Undyne," he grumbled.

"Mygalo," she acknowledged, slipping her helmet from her scaly head. Shaking out her long pony tail, she leaned her weight onto her spear. A toothed smirk spread across her fishy lips as their eyes met. "It's been a while. Can't say I appreciate finding you here, but on the other hand, I'm glad I did! Now it means we can settle our fight!"

"You're friends with Undyne?" I questioned.

"'Friends' is a strong word," he grunted. "A friend doesn't typically stab another friend in the back."

"Shoulder!" Undyne protested. "I stabbed you in the shoulder!"

"See what I had to put up with?" he complained. "Like, how do you even respond to such...ditziness?"

"I'll show you who's a ditz!" the knight snarled, lunging forward with a spear. He quickly moved, wrapping his arms protectively around me, just as the tip stopped short of his back. "...What are you doing?" she demanded.

"Hugging the woman I love, clearly," he shot back.

My eyes widened. Well, I hadn't expected the web's effect to be quite that strong. "The woman you...are you kidding me?!" she cackled, laughing uproariously. She couldn't stop her laughter as Mettaton began to nervously laugh along as well.

"Erm, Undyne," he began. "Perhaps the audience would prefer if we…"

"Shut up, you bucket of bolts," she retorted, her laughter subsiding into light snickers. "My how the mighty have fallen!" the woman taunted Araen. "I can't believe I actually _almost_ respected you! Now will you stop hugging, turn around, and fight?!"

"No," he replied.

"Why not?!"

"Didn't I just tell you? I'm in love with her, so there's no reason to hunt me anymore."

A confused silence settled over the entire group. "What?!" Undyne snapped. "Where did you get such a stupid idea like that?"

"She's a monster. Even Asgore wouldn't kill humans who served under him, right?"

Undyne scratched her cheek. "Well, yeah but, she's not really…"

Mettaton let out a bored and metallic sigh. "Are we about finished? We're cutting into our run time, Undyne!"

"What run time?!" she growled back. "Stop acting like we're on some sort of TV show!" As the two of them began to argue, I gently tried to tug him aside without them noticing, but not even a few steps away and a spear embedded itself half way into the wall, just beside me. "Don't move," she ordered. "Now, talk! What did you do with the child?"

"Child? What child?" my companion quizzed.

"Don't play dumb," Undyne snapped. "The monster kid who disappeared. We know you took him, human scum!"

"Hey," I protested, standing in front of Araen. "He was just asking a question. There's no need for such unladylike behavior." Great, now he had me protecting him.

She did not take kindly to that statement. With a growl she lunged forward, but the Captain deflected the hilt off of his forearm, moving it into an upward block. As the spear sailed over my head, his other fist raced forward and struck Undyne hard in the jaw, sending the armored woman reeling. "How in the hell…?!"

"How did you do that?" I asked in awe.

He just grinned at me. "Determination. Now go, it's only me they're after and they're clearly not inclined to listen to reason." Turning a knob on his chest, sappy music began to flow from Mettaton's chest.

"I think this show is turning into a romance," he whispered to Undyne, who was still rubbing her chin tenderly.

"Now go, go my love," Araen instructed, sliding his foot back into another fighting stance. "I will hold them off so that you may live another day."

"Are you insane?" I argued. "I can't just leave you here like this. I won't! I still need you to…"

"-bzzrt- Oh my gosh, this is just like in Mew Mew Kissy Cutie when…"

"Alphy!" Undyne interrupted. "We've talked about this! No calls when I'm on work."

"Hey! When did you install a radio in my chassis anyway?" Mettaton demanded, before an electrical current ran through him, causing him to spasm in surprise.

"Woops," the voice murmured through the speaker.

"Hello Alphys," the captain called out.

There was a gasp from the robot's chest as the screen suddenly adjusted, revealing the image of a dinosaur in a lab coat. "Is that Captain Mygola?!" she asked. "It's so good to see you, Araen! How are you?"

"I've been better," he replied, causing me to look between them with the same level of confusion as Undyne. "Could you uh...you know, shut off your death machine?"

"Oh! Sure, just a second. I think I have the remote control right…"

"Alphy, don't shut off the death machine!"

"What? But he just said…"

"He's the enemy, Alphys! Don't do what he asks!"

"He is?" she asked. "But he was so nice? And he likes Mew Mew Kissy Cutie, also so I mean, he can't be that bad, can he? Speaking of which, have you seen the newest episode of Mew Mew Kissy Cutie 3, Araen?" she gushed.

"Oh my God, yes!" he replied just as excitedly. "Can you believe what Mew Mew did to that one guy?! Talk about abuse of power! I have to say, 3 totally makes up for the garbage that was 2."

"Right?!"

"ALPHYS!" Undyne boomed, causing Mettaton to swivel against his will so Alphys could see Undyne. "Alphy, honey," she began again. "I'm kind of in the middle of interrogating an enemy captive here. Now while I typically love your presence and hearing the sound of your adorable voice, I'm kind of in the middle of something here, so if you could switch Mettaton back into killbot mode, I'd really appreciate it."

"Whoa, Mettaton has a killbot mode?!" Another voice cried from the water, just before with a splash, a no-armed monster child leaped out. "I wanna see, I wanna see!"

Undyne's cold glare was enough that even I could feel my blood freezing in my veins. "Was this the kid you were looking for?" I scoffed impatiently. "Shame on you! Blaming an innocent gentleman for a crime he didn't commit."

Undyne lifted the kid by head, gritting her teeth in angry frustration. "Whoa! Who are those guys Undyne? Is that human one of the bad ones? Are you going to stab him with your spear? I would love to see that! You should totally just stab him right in the chest and…"

"I'll be right back," she snarled at the two of us. "Don't even think about moving! Mettaton!"

"Yes?"

"We need to return this brat to his mother...again."

"Awww, don't do that Undyne! Please don't tell my mom! She's going to be so mad at me!" The voices vanished into the shadows after a few moments, and soon the Captain and I were alone again.

"What just happened?!" I finally cried in confusion. "She was about to kill us! I mean, you! Then you were all buddy buddy with that dinosaur chick who's inside of the robot and…!"

"Are you okay?" he asked, cutting me off.

"No! Why the hell are we still breathing?!"

"Undyne makes up for her strength with her pitiable intelligence," he explained. "When the monsters rejoined the village, Undyne and I were almost partners on the guard but...well, you know what happened."

"Oh, so that's why she's so personal with you."

"Which reminds me..." He grabbed me quickly, throwing me hard against the wall. Pressing his arm under my chin, he put pressure on my throat as I tried to keep his arm from choking me. "I don't appreciate being brainwashed or treated like a pet!" he snapped.

"You...weren't going to help me...otherwise!" I gasped. "Besides...you...love me!"

"You know damn well why I said those things," he growled. "Now I'm going to let go, and you'll have thirty seconds to explain why the hell they were chasing you!" As I fell to the ground with a wheeze, he began to slowly count out loud.

"Okay, okay!" I cried. "I'm not with the monsters, okay? I didn't know you were coming into the sewers. You surprised me! I've...I've been hiding down here since the war began." I let out a squeal as he grabbed my by the ribbon around my neck, pulling my face close to his.

"You're going to tell me everything…"

To be continued...


	3. Chapter 3

The Tangled Webs We Weave Ch. 3

Now that my head was clear, there was a rage deep inside of my mind to replace the strange feelings of love and lust that Muffet had placed there. "I'm sorry for deceiving you," she whispered. The scowl on my face did not budge.

"Talk, Muffet."

"Okay, okay…" she sighed. "I'm not part of Asgore's army. Okay? They're hunting after me, too."

"What do you mean they're hunting you? Why would Asgore be hunting down monsters?"

"Our King...he's very sick," she tried to explain. "He's become unstable. He's crazy. Some of us remained steadfast and loyal to him, but others...well, let's just say that the plague wasn't the only thing to wipe out a majority of our population."

"Gods...I knew it was bad, but I never realized…" I ran my hand through my hair, reflecting on what was happening. "We should get out of here," I stated. "If Undyne comes back, this time we won't be so lucky."

"What do you mean 'we'?" she asked, tilting her head puzzled. "What do you care whether or not they capture me?"

I looked at her incredulously. "You just don't get it, do you?" I grumbled. "Listen Muffet. I'll be perfectly blunt. When the monsters first showed up, I was scared. We all were. We had no idea your people even existed. Suddenly, you show up, being led by some kid that had disappeared almost a week or so ago, and we weren't sure what to do. So...we took a risk. We let you guys in, and we tried to accept that you guys were going to be a factor in our lives now. I was skeptical at first, but Undyne seemed nice enough."

"But…?"

"But, soon I counted many monsters as my friends. It was as if you all had always been here, living beside us, and it made no difference to any of us who was what. Some day, who knows, maybe humans and monsters would have even fallen in love. Then, the plague hit. Some of my friends died, others...well, they were the lucky ones. The dead ones weren't the ones that hurt us the most though. No, the worst thing ever was the day Undyne betrayed me."

She crossed her three pairs of arms in front of her, twiddling her fingers timidly as she looked at the ground. I could tell she wanted to hear the rest of the story, but to be honest, I wasn't much in the mood to talk about it.

"Listen, Muffet. It's nothing personal, honest. I'm sorry, but it's difficult for me to trust monsters right now, so please, please, don't think that it's anything against you personally. I can't bring you back with me to headquarters. I can't take that risk."

She visibly sank as she nodded her head slowly. "I understand."

"But, I can't leave you here either. Not when you're clearly in trouble." She perked up immediately, her eyes sparkling in excitement. "What?"

"I knew it," she beamed. "You are some sort of gentleman."

What was her obsession with gentlemen and ladies? "No, I'm not. You know who our leader is, and if they were to catch you and make you blab, that could cause some real trouble for the resistance."

She suddenly froze, trembling with her arms wrapped around herself. "You're not going to…"

"What?"

She turned and began to run full speed down the sewers. Where was she going? I began to run after her. "Leave me alone!" she screamed back at me, leaping over pipes and ducking down offshoots in the sewers.

"Why are you running?!" I shouted after her, vaulting over the pipes. As I rounded the corner, I came to a bricked up wall. What the hell? Where did she go? "Muffet?" I called out, the darkness of the pipes making it difficult to see as I stumbled forward. "Muffet, we don't have time for whatever craziness you're planning! We've got to get out of here before Undyne comes back!"

That was when I felt a strange feeling behind me, and turning I managed to see the bottom of her shoe, just before she kicked me hard in the face sending me against the wall. With quick spurts, she fired webs from her spinnerets, sealing my wrist to the wall. I struggled, but couldn't break free.

"What's your deal?!" I growled, tugging hard at it.

"Serves you right!" she snapped. "You were just going to kill me for no reason? Because I know who your leader is? Who does something like that?!"

"What?" I gasped, pausing my struggling to look at her like she was insane. "I'm not going to kill you!"

"You said so yourself! If they captured me I'd cause trouble for the resistance."

"So you took that as I intended to kill you?! What am I, a mob boss? Gonna break your knees with a bat to shut you up? You're insane!" I began to gnaw at the bonds, as her eyes narrowed. She slowly came closer to me, gently prodding me with one of her arms.

"How do I know you don't intend to kill me?"

"Well for starters," I grunted, "I don't have any weapons. How would I have even managed to kill you anyway? No pun intended, but I think I'm slightly out armed."

"Well then what were you going to do? You said you couldn't just leave me down here, but you couldn't bring me with you either."

"I was _going_ to offer you stay at my home, but obviously after the kick to the face and being tied up, I'm a little more hesitant about my offer."

"Here," she offered, running two of her arms up mine to take hold of the webs. "Hold still, I'll help you."

I watched her as she made small grunts of effort, trying to tear the sticky fibers away from my wrist. "Look, I'm sorry if I gave you the wrong impression," I sighed. "I know I can be a little...gruff."

"It's okay," she sighed, finally unpeeling the webbing from me so I could move again. "I've always been quick to judge. It's a flaw. Humans hate spiders, monsters aren't much different. They see us, and even though we do so much, they think we're freaks. They step on us, tear off our legs, set fire to our homes...we're hated by everyone. As long as we were underground, it wasn't until the end that we even managed to actually have our entire family together. Our bakesale went on for almost a century, moving through my grandmother, my mom, then finally, me. Even still, it wasn't until Frisk showed up that I had enough money to actually transport the rest of my family through the cold so that we could be together. Entire villages and towns were set up all over the place, but no one cared enough to help move my people one time."

"Admittedly, there are a lot of you," I pointed out. She frowned, and went to move away from me, but I quickly reached out grabbing one of her wrists. "Hey, relax. I didn't mean anything by that. You're right, it's horrible. I'm sorry that's the case. If it helps though, I don't hate you. I don't hate spiders either."

She smiled softly and pat my cheek gently. "You're sweet," she sighed. "But it doesn't do much good now."

"Hey, the offer is still on the table. Do you want a place to stay on the surface? If so, I have one for you. It's not much. Just a little shack, but it's a roof over your head and a bed to sleep in at night. I imagine you're probably tired of dangling from a string, or however it is you sleep down here."

"Do you mean it?"

"Of course. Like I said, I know I'm a bit rough around the edges, but I'm not heartless. It was never my intention to abandon you. I even told you when you first captured me, my business isn't with you. I had no reason to fight you, and I didn't really intend to, either. I just wanted to get inside the castle."

"But now that Undyne found you…" she whispered. "I'm sorry. I must have ruined your mission."

"Yeah, but if you hadn't Undyne would have killed you," I reminded her. "So long as you don't use your weird purple webs on me again, you're more than welcome to come with me, okay?"

"Thanks," she beamed, looping three arms around mine so that I would escort her through the pipes. "I know you probably don't care, but my family should be okay without me. You don't have to worry about thousands of spiders swarming your house or anything. As you've experienced first hand, we're pretty good at hiding."

"What about your pet? Isn't it a little big?"

She gave an impish giggle. "Why? Did you become attached to my pet?" Noting my sour expression, she gently pat my arm. "I'm teasing. He'll be fine. There isn't really a way to kill him, believe me. People have tried."

"If you say so," I sighed. "Come on, I think the exit's this way."

"Didn't you want to grab your knives?" she quizzed. "I thought you'd need them."

"You say that like I don't have hundreds of weapons just lying around."

"Why would you have hundreds of weapons just lying around?!"

"You didn't know?" I asked confused.

"Know what?"

I huffed. "You know what, never mind. It's not important. Just know I'm well armed, and right now, my home is probably the safest place in the country for you."

"Can I ask you a question?"

"Other than that one?"

"Haha. Funny. Earlier, you said you managed to deflect that spear because of determination. What does that mean?"

"I...I don't know," I confessed. I hadn't even remembered saying it until she just now mentioned it. "It just kind of...popped in my head."

I could tell from her expression she didn't really buy that, but even still, the two of us made our way to the entrance. She continued to cling onto my arm, and at first, I wanted to remind her that I was no longer under the effects of her webs, but when I saw the look on her face: the look of someone who was deeply conflicted, I kept my mouth shut.

When we reached the pipe I'd entered from, it was then I finally tugged my arm from her. "Wait here," I instructed, before clambering up the ladder. Listening at the manhole for a moment and hearing nothing, I carefully moved it aside and peered out.

Sure enough, the coast was clear, and with a grin, I waved for her to climb up with me. Slipping out of the opening, I turned, offering her my hand to pull her out and onto her feet. For a moment, she just stood there, blinking back the harsh light of the sun.

"Sorry, I know it's bright," I empathized, wrapping an arm around her shoulders and guiding her to some shade. "My house isn't far. It'll be better there, okay?"

"Okay," she agreed in a daze, unable to see where I was leading her, and yet, I could feel she was completely trusting that I wouldn't put her in harm's way. The trust she had in me was baffling. Not to mention, completely one-sided.

Every now and then, I'd stop suddenly, placing a hand over her mouth to quiet her as a patrol moved past our location. I had to get us out of the city quick. Undyne may not be the brightest bulb in the pack, but she was smart enough to know we probably wouldn't just wait for her to get back.

"Are we almost there?" Muffet managed to squeak out after a few minutes. Her normally dark eyes were a greyish color now, and they were watering from the harshness of the light.

"Keep your eyes closed," I lectured her. "You're just going to burn them as it is. You need to wait and get adjusted to the light slowly."

"I...I can't," she whispered.

"What do you mean, you can't?"

"I can blink them, but I can't close them simultaneously," she explained, almost ashamedly. "I'm sorry."

"Don't apologize," I replied, taking off my shirt. "Here," I offered her, placing it into her hands. "Use this to cover up your eyes. I'll keep leading you for now."

"O-okay." Wrapping my shirt around her head to blindfold herself, I continued to take her through the streets and it wasn't long before we were at the small wooden door that lead to my 'cabin'. Admittedly, it was much more like a bunker than anything, with a set of steps leading down into an underground building. There were some skylights installed, but they were hard to see from above, but it made the building dimly lit enough that I didn't need power.

"We're here," I sighed thankfully. "Be careful, the steps are steep."

"I will," she promised, though not even a few seconds later, I heard her give a surprised squeak. Turning back, I managed to catch her, just before she cracked her head open on the ground. "Sorry," she murmured again.

Without a word, I pressed on the door, and with a grunt of effort, it swung open.

* * *

I couldn't help but blush after I'd wrapped the fabric he'd offered me around my head. It helped greatly from the sun's harsh light, but its dark colors made it almost impossible for me to see anything. What was making me blush however, was the realization that the odd smell it had was his scent, and I couldn't help but feel flustered by it.

What was wrong with me? We'd only just met, and I'd had only been playing whenever I flirted with him, so why did he seem so charming to me now? What was worse was that I couldn't stop apologizing to him for things.

I think even he was starting to notice my strange behavior, and the last thing I wanted was for him to get the wrong impression. "We're here," he had said to me, before warning me of the steps.

I tried my hardest to be cautious where I stepped, but even still, my foot slipped, sending me hurtling downwards until I felt his arms catch me gently. "Sorry," I managed to let out shyly, but he just ushered me inside without saying a word.

When we entered, I slowly worked to remove the shirt from my eyes. Now that it was gone, I passed it to Araen, before glancing around his home. It was definitely cozy, as he'd said, and with the sun filtering through the sky lights I felt a sense of warmth. It wasn't very lavish, rather the furniture inside was all very basic and wooden. The table sat, unadorned, with a single chair. Off a ways, there was a bed, made neatly, but with plain cotton sheets. On the far wall, there was a TV, under which sat a few consoles beside a stack of boxes that contained DVD's.

"Wow," I whispered, moving around curiously and running my fingers along the polished wood. It was a little dusty, but nothing as awful as the sewer. What was best, however, was the scent of fresh trees that wafted through the house, a welcome replacement to the stench I'd become accustomed to. "It's very...homy."

"Thanks, I think," he replied, slipping his shirt on again. I watched him with mild interest, but when he'd caught me looking, I quickly turned away. "So, can I get you anything?" he asked.

"Tea?"

"Don't have any."

"Oh…" I was almost embarrassed that I'd made such a request. I should have just said I'd like something to drink and taken whatever he offered. I felt so foolish.

"Are you...feeling okay?" he asked hesitantly. "You've been acting odd since we left the sewers."

"I think I'm just a bit overwhelmed," I tried, though in truth I had no idea why I was behaving so strangely. He seemed to accept the answer as he moved to the small kitchen and began rummaging through the cabinets.

"I don't have tea, but I think I have some coffee. Nothing too fancy, mind you, but I figure you'd probably prefer something with a bit more flavor than water. I also have cream and sugar, so you can sweeten it if you like."

"That would be wonderful, thank you." As he went about making preparations, I continued to wander around the one bedroom cottage. "So, where am I going to sleep?" He looked at me puzzled before gesturing towards the bed. "Y-you're giving me your bed?" I asked in surprise. "But, then where will you sleep?"

"I can sleep anywhere," he commented matter-of-factly. "With a few blankets and a pillow, I'll just take the floor and be content with that."

"I feel terrible," I admitted. "I mean, I attacked you, and now I'm taking over your bed and home. You must think me an awful person."

"I wouldn't say 'awful'," he replied, boiling the water on the stove. "Misguided, more like." Catching my frown he just chuckled. "Relax, Muffet. I'm just teasing you. Really, it's not a big deal. You need a place to lay low, so I'm giving you one. That's all there is to it."

"Why are you being so kind to me?" I asked. "First it was, 'I'm not doing this for you. I'm doing this for the resistance.' But if that was the case, you could have just as easily dragged me into the forest somewhere and left me to my own devices. You didn't have to open your home to me." For a moment, I felt as if I were going to cry.

"Are...you okay?" he asked.

"I don't know," I admitted, tears beginning to stream from my cheeks. "I just feel so weird and excited and anxious and...I don't know!"

"Okay, okay. Just calm down," he urged me, guiding me to the table to sit. "Just relax. We've had a pretty stressful day, haven't we? I mean, you had some crazy human come in and destroy your home, and I was kidnapped by a crazy spider woman. It wears on us, right?"

I couldn't help but to grin at him. When I did, he returned it, and it was then I realized what a cute smile he had. I quickly shoved those thoughts aside though. I still had no intentions of letting him go to meet Toriel by himself. I needed to come up with a plan.

After a few minutes, he set down the piping hot cup of coffee in front of me, causing me to look up at him with the cutest expression I could muster. "Thank you," I said, mixing in the sugar and cream he provided. "Are you sure you couldn't bring me with you? I already know that Toriel is your leader. If I'd wanted to know where the resistance was, couldn't I have just asked you while you were all googly eyed?"

"Googly eyed?" he chuckled. "If I recall, that didn't work so hot when you wanted to know what my mission was."

"Still...please?"

"No can do, Muffet. Sorry. It's nothing personal, but it's a risk I can't take, understand?"

I crossed my arms and gave a huff, before pouting at him. "You're so mean. How could you be so cruel to an adorable lady like me?"

"Adorable or not, I can't show you where the resistance base is. Sorry. It's just as much to protect ourselves as it is to protect Toriel. If Undyne were to find out where we were located…"

"Fine then. Be that way," I interrupted, sinking into the chair with a frown. He rolled his eyes, but still he was smiling. "What are you grinning at?"

"Nothing," he chuckled, meaning that it wasn't 'nothing' at all. "If you like, there's a shower right through that door. Towels are in cupboard."

"And give you the chance to peep? Yeah, right."

"I just don't want you stinking up my bed," he countered, the smile vanishing almost instantly. Was he really so offended by my comment? "Anyway, do what you want. I'm going to get my bed set up."

"You're going to sleep already?" I asked.

"Hello? I'm a rebel. We don't go out until night." With that, he set to work grabbing spare blankets and pillows he kept lying around. Now that he'd said something, I myself began to feel a little sleepy.

We'd spent a lot of time running, and I hadn't had the chance to take a proper nap since I met him. "I suppose so," I yawned. Untying the ribbon around my neck, I slid the velvet from me, revealing the v-neck that was beneath it. As I began to unbutton my blouse, I noticed him staring at me. "What?"

"What are you doing?"

"Changing to sleep, obviously."

"Like...right here?"

"Well, a gentleman like yourself should have no problem with that, since you'd politely look away, right?"

"A gentleman wouldn't have to, because a lady wouldn't just strip in front of him." Even still, he turned around to continue fluffing up his small flat on the ground. Once I was only in my undergarments: a tank top and some plain panties, I slipped into the sheets of his bed with a comfortable sigh. "Good night, Captain," I sang, causing him to stop what he was doing for a second.

"Good night, Muffet. Sleep well, okay? If you wake up and I'm not here, don't worry. I've just gone to meet the resistance. I'll lock the door behind me, so make sure not to let anyone in."

I lay there motionless for awhile until I could hear soft snores coming from the small bundle of blankets on the ground. Moving, I lifted his blankets, climbing in beside him to snuggle closer. He was so warm, and I couldn't get enough of the way he smelled. I knew it was weird, but I couldn't help myself.

Placing a hand on his back, a soft smile crossed my features. Now that I'd attached my strand of silk to him, It'd be no effort at all to follow it...and him. Closing what eyes I could, I rested my forehead against his shoulder.

This felt nice. There was something about him I liked. Maybe it was because he cared about spiders. Maybe it was because he cared about me. It could very well be that I just happened to enjoy playing the role of his lady when he was under the effects of my web.

I was becoming obsessed. I had to learn everything there was to know about Captain Mygola. I needed to know where he'd come from, what he'd seen, why he was the way he was. Once I finally had all of that, I knew, then I'd finally be able to ensnare him as my prey.

To be continued...


	4. Chapter 4

The Tangled Webs We Weave Ch. 4

When I awoke later that night, I was surprised to find Muffet's hands pressed against my back with two arms holding me tightly. Why had she left the bed? Maybe she had a nightmare or something.

Glancing at my watch, I noted that the resistance was about to meet. It was time for me to leave, and as much as I didn't want to wake her, for fear she would try to follow me, I had to unpeel her arms from around me so I could slip out.

As I cautiously scooted away from her, I lowered her arms to find that she did not stir, despite that her eyes were wide open. I'd read before that spiders didn't sleep so much as they entered a torpid state. Perhaps that's what she was doing? I waved my hand in front of her gaze, but still she snored cutely without budging an inch.

Satisfied, I opened the door to my cottage, locking it behind me as I'd promised her. In the darkness of the night, I felt so much more comfortable. It'd started long ago, with the long hours that I spent on patrol and guard duty. The resistance had only solidified my nocturnal habits further since it formed.

Slinking through the shadows, I carefully avoided the monster patrols wandering about the town. There weren't many at night. Asgore learned long ago that despite their reputation, darkness no longer belonged to the monsters. Now it was the humans that went bump in the night.

Making my way through the streets, I soon found myself at the Resistance HQ. Back before the plague, the place had been a hub for humans and monsters to get food and drinks, a reopened place from below called Grillby's. Raising the back of my fist, I quickly drummed out the first part of Shave and a Haircut, then paused to wait for the confirmation of two solid thuds.

As the door swung open, I was created by a cry of recognition from the other members of the resistance. While they were mostly humans, a few of them were monsters themselves, including the proprietor, Grillby himself.

"Hey Toriel. Look. Captain Mygalo is back. I wonder why he returned so quickly," Sans noted, nudging the goat-like woman beside him. Putting down her book, she adjusted her glasses curiously to see that he was indeed correct.

"Captain!" she cried excitedly, standing to give me a hug. "Welcome back. What happened with the mission? Were you discovered?"

"Sort of," I answered, guiding her back to the bar to sit beside her. Holding up my finger to indicate I wanted a drink, I turned to her as everyone else gathered around to hear my explanation. "Things are worse than we feared, guys. Asgore's off his rocker."

"Tell us something we don't know," a voice called from the back sending the room erupting into laughter, until they realized my expression hadn't changed.

When all was silent, I continued, "Asgore has been hunting monsters within the castle. He's been consumed by paranoia. I would even be willing to bet that the monsters who originally sided with him out of loyalty continue to do so out of fear."

"So you did infiltrate the castle?" Toriel pressed.

"No. I never made it inside. I was ambushed just outside of the manhole by a monster. She's staying in my bunker right now. She fled Asgore when he began executing other monsters."

"Who is it?"

"Her name is Muffett."

"The spider? I thought she stayed underground," Sans interjected.

"And you brought her to your home?" Toriel asked skeptically. "Why would you do something so dangerous, Captain? She may not look like much, but I assure you she is quite deadly."

"Sorry, my Queen," I whispered in shame. "She discovered that you were the leader of the resistance, and in exchange for her silence, I offered to bring her with me."

"Did you tell her our headquarters?"

"Of course not, milady. She doesn't even know the nature of my mission. I've elected to keep her blissfully unaware of our situation until a time she can prove herself trustworthy of our cause."

Taking the drink that Grillby placed before me, I took a swig of the bitter alcohol before placing the glass gently on the polished wood. "I'm still confused as to why you brought her with you. You said she ambushed you, did you not?"

"That is correct. We fought to a stalemate. At first, I didn't think I could trust her, but I discovered that she too is being hunted by Asgore's forces."

"You can't possibly take it on word alone," the queen tried.

"On the contrary, I heard it from the mouth of Captain Undyne herself. Whatever the case may be, Muffett has had plenty of chances to kill me since we met, none of which she's acted upon. I think she can be trusted."

"You may want to rethink that statement," Sans offered, reaching to my back to pluck something from it. Holding it up to the light, I could now see the faint gleam of her glistening web. "It looks like she played you, Captain. Guess she really stringed you along, huh?"

"Sans, this is serious," Toriel lectured, plucking the strand from his bony fingers. "If this has been connected to you this entire time then that means…" her words were cut off as a knocking came at the door. It was not the secret knock we'd rehearsed.

"I have a plan," I whispered. "Grillby, stall for time. Sans, take Toriel and the monsters with you to the wine cellar and bunker down. I know how to get rid of her."

As the diminutive skeleton grabbed Toriel's hands and they rushed out, Grillby slid back the peep hole to gaze outside. Sure enough, Muffet stood there shyly, waiting to be let in. "Password?" he asked.

She was taken aback by the question. She hadn't expect to be greeted by a password at the door. "Erm...Toriel?"

"Denied," Grillby stated before closing the viewer again.

"Come on, come on," I lectured, rushing the more intoxicated individuals to the hiding spot. Another knock came at the door and once again Grillby looked outside.

"Password?"

"Swordfish?"

"Denied." Again it was shut. When the last monster was in the cellar, I gave them a friendly salute and slowly closed the door.

Marching up the stairs, I signaled to the remaining humans to turn their eyes on me. "All right everyone, we are to pretend as if we do not know one another. We are just simple acquaintances here for a drink. Understand? She knew I was meeting the resistance tonight, but I'll tell her I stopped here for a drink before going to HQ. Nod to show you understand," I instructed softly.

"Password?"

"Password," she suggested grumpily. Her impatience was palpable, even through the door.

"Denied." Slam.

Everyone nodded one after another. The plan was going to be put into motion. I nodded to Grillby to let her in on the next password she tried.

When her knock came once more, he opened it. "Password?"

"Look, I don't know the password," she gasped in exasperation. "I'm looking for Araen, because I wanted to talk to him, and I know he's here with the resistance. I'm not one of Asgore's forces, I just want to talk to Captain Mygalo."

"Password accepted," he stated opening the door.

"Are you kidding me? 'I don't know the password'," she groaned. "That's not a password, that's a passphrase!"

"Don't mind Grillby," I called from the bar. "He likes messing with people. Come have a seat." I gently pat the stool beside me.

Muffet seemed suspicious of my cheerful attitude. "You're not mad?" she asked, approaching me and sitting down on the stool. "I thought you'd be furious."

"Forget it," I offered. "I'm a little irritated, but it's better you found me here instead of at the resistance camp. That would have been bad."

She blinked in surprise. "I thought this was the Resistance's headquarters."

I forced a laugh. "Look around you," I instructed with a wave of my hand. "Do you think the resistance is only made up of a few humans and a bartender? No offense, Grillby."

"None taken," he hummed, picking up a mug and polishing it with his rag. Based on the smile on his face, it was obvious he was enjoying playing his part. "Can I get you anything?" he asked Muffet.

"Erm...do you have...tea?" she stammered, recalling my lack there of.

"Of course," he nodded. "What kind would you like?"

"Any kind is fine with me," she replied.

"One Orange Pekoe, coming right up," he assured her, moving to begin brewing the tea.

"So...if this isn't Resistance HQ...what are you doing here?" Muffet asked me.

"I usually stop in for a bite or a drink here before moving to the meeting," I explained. "How did you sleep? I couldn't help but notice that you managed to find your way from one side of the room to the other. Did you have a nightmare?"

"S-something like that," she answered scratching her cheek. "Listen, Captain…I never really got to apologize for attacking you. Or to thank you for saving my life. I wanted to follow you to the Resistance, so that when I showed up, you could see that you could trust me. I guess you trust me even less now, huh?"

I looked into her eyes intently. She was being oddly affectionate. "Are you okay?" I asked, moving to place my hand on her forehead. Sure enough, she felt warm beneath my fingertips. "You feel like you have a fever."

Her cheeks burned a bright red beneath her dark skin as she quickly shook her head. "N-no, I feel fine, honest!" she swore. My brow furrowed in concern though. She truly did feel like she was sick.

"Muffet, I'm really worried," I told her. "Grillby, make that tea iced, please. She's burning up."

"Araen I'm fine," she tried to tell me, before she slumped over against my shoulder. "I'm...fine…" she slurred.

The look on her face was one I'd seen more often than I cared to. Grillby seemed to notice himself, as the glass he'd prepared fell from his fingers to shatter against the ground. "Is that…?"

"Yes," I whispered, scooping her up in my arms. "She's caught the plague. Damn it. Grillby, get Toriel. Tell her we need to get her somewhere safe stat. We have to administer the antibodies before it really takes root."

He quickly ran towards the cellar, pounding on the door. "Toriel! Toriel, come quick!" he cried. When she opened the door, he quickly led her to the dining room where I stood, cradling her.

"Oh no…" she whispered. "Come on, let's get her to Napstablook's house. I'm sure he'll have no problem with letting us use it and he lives the closest. I'll get Woshua and meet you there."

"Right," I agreed nervously.

Seeing my expression, Toriel placed her hand on my shoulder and gave me a weak, but reassuring smile. "It'll be okay, Captain. I promise. Have determination."

I looked at her, puzzled by her words and recalling what happened in the tunnels. Instead of asking questions though, I simply nodded my head and carried her out the door into the open air. She'd begun sweating now, two of her eyes closed and the other three only partially open. Her breathing was labored, and I prayed to the gods that she would make it.

Slamming my shoulder against the door, it swung open to reveal a surprised Napstablook, who let out a shrill cry. "Captain? What are you…?" His eyes fell on the spider, and immediately he banished his headphones, moving in quick whips to clear away the clutter. Woshua made his way into the house, using his powers to deep clean everything.

When his cool spray hit Muffet, she sputtered before taking a sharp gasp. "Araen?" she asked in confusion. "Where are we?"

"You're in a friend's house," I explained. "Just relax, okay? You're sick."

"I'm fine," she promised, before giving a cute but concerning cough.

"You're not fine," I argued. "This is serious, Muffet. Don't worry, someone's coming to help."

"We're here," Sans announced, coming in behind Toriel. Both were carrying a large medical bag and when they set it down, it was clear that both were full of instruments. Immediately, I felt Muffet's hand tighten around mine with a painful amount of pressure. I guess she wasn't a fan of doctors.

"Queen Toriel!" she gasped, trying to sit up, but I quickly shoved her back down. "I thought Asgore had killed you. When he told me you were the leader of the resistance, I was so happy, but to see you in person…"

"Hush, child," she interrupted, taking a cloth soaked in cool water and placing it on her forehead. "Captain Mygalo, would you like to do the honors?"

I nodded, rolling up my sleeve to expose my arm to her. She removed a needle from its sterile packaging as Sans wiped my arm with some alcohol. "Hey Toriel. Do you have a red pen?"

"Why on earth do you need a red pen?" she asked.

"How else am I supposed to draw blood?" he asked with a wink, causing me to give a groan. Their humor was bad enough on its own, but together it was horrendous. Toriel, however, just giggled. "You're going to feel a pinch. Also, you'll feel a needle enter your arm."

"Get on with it, Sans," I instructed. Sure enough, he jabbed into my vein with the syringe withdrawing the blood. As he held up the large amount of ruby fluid to examine it in the dim light.

"What's he going to do with that?" Muffet asked me weakly, her vision starting to blur again.

"Just look away," I instructed "You're going to be just fine."

Toriel finished setting up her IV, and once the sedative began to kick in, sending her into a slumber, Sans injected my blood into her body. Now, there was nothing left for us to do but to wait for her to wake back up...if she did.

* * *

My head felt like it was spinning as my consciousness returned to find myself staring into an unforgiving light. I groaned, moving one of my hands to shield my vision, only to find that there was a long narrow tube stuck to it.

I went to sit up, but the moment I did, my stomach lurched and I felt like I was going to vomit. I quickly turned to my side, grabbing a trashcan nearby and retching into it, though all that came out was a few smoky black wisps.

My chest heaved from the strain and when my heart rate had lowered once again, I realized that I was not in the room alone. Sitting in a chair beside the bed I was in, his head lowered and soft snores trailing from his throat, was Captain Mygalo. How long had he been sitting here?

"Captain?" I called softly, reaching to shake him gently. The moment my hand brushed against his arm, he jolted awake, drawing a knife and holding it in front of him protectively, all in one fluid motion.

When he realized who it was, he visibly relaxed, and though I was taken aback by his sudden movement, he forced himself to smile. "Heh. Sorry, force of habit, I guess," he explained bashfully, slipping the knife back on his hip. "How are you feeling?"

"Much better," I admitted. "What happened to me? The last thing I remember, we were sitting in Grillby's…"

"You contracted the plague," he explained. "I was so worried when you collapsed, but toriel and Sans were a big help in bringing you back from the brink. The plague should just about be out of your system now. You may feel a little sick to your stomach at first, but that's just how the plague leaves."

My mouth felt dry as I realized what the black wisps were now. Was that what the plague looked like? I couldn't help but wonder where I'd managed to get it from. "Captain...do you have anything to drink?"

"Actually, yes," he replied, reaching down to retrieve a thermos from his bag. "I figured you may want some tea when you woke up. I'm sorry if it isn't hot anymore. I'll be honest...I was scared you would never wake up."

Unscrewing the cap, he carefully poured the brown liquid into the lid and offered it to me. I took it with a grateful nod before sipping it carefully. "Thank you," I murmured. "There's one thing I don't understand though. How did you cure me? I thought the plague didn't have a cure."

"A short while ago, we found one," he explained, though the tone of his voice was solemn. "We discovered that the reason monsters are the only ones affected are because humans possess a type of antibody in their blood that prevents it from taking root."

"So...how…?"

"You received a transfusion. You were given some human blood to protect you from the plague. If you'd had it for too long though, it wouldn't have helped."

"But it did," I reminded him with a smile. My statement seemed to cheer him up, surprisingly. I was glad it did. My eyes fell to his arm which had a bandage wrapped around it, and the realization came crashing on me like a bag of bricks. "Oh! I didn't realize...you were the one who saved me, weren't you Captain?"

He quickly hid his arm, avoiding eye contact. "I was the only human available," he muttered. "It was either I help you or let you die."

I gave a slight giggle at his adorable shyness. "Well, it was the gentlemanly thing to do," I complimented. "As a lady, I assure you I am very grateful." That seemed to fluster him even more.

It was then the door opened, revealing a familiar furry figure, carrying a plate with a slice of pie on it. When she saw that I was sitting up, she beamed at me. "Oh wonderful! You're awake."

"Queen Toriel," I murmured in awe as she came to sit on my bed. Offering Captain Mygalo, the pie, he gratefully nodded his head and took it.

"Just Toriel," she corrected me. "I stopped being the Queen a long time ago. The Captain has spoken highly of you. I understand you've been facing quite the struggles since we've come to the surface."

"Yes, ma'am," I replied, still awe struck by her noble presence.

"If you're feeling up to it, I have some questions for you. Firstly, how are you feeling?"

"Much better," I answered. "I was a little sick at first, but Araen informed me that that was normal for my treatment."

"Araen?" she asked in surprise, before looking to the man who was still blushing. "You must truly be something special if you are on a first name basis with the Captain. I fear he doesn't even like it much when I call him by it."

"Oh...sorry Ara-Captain. I didn't know."

"It's fine," he quickly assured me. "I really don't mind as much as everyone thinks."

"Whatever you say, Captain," Toriel said. "Anyway, can you tell us anything about what's going on inside of the castle?"

"Well...there aren't as many monsters there anymore, and Asgore is growing frustrated. I could hear the sounds of the people he locked up in the sewers and he seems to be executing more every week."

Toriel frowned. "So, the Resistance is causing more trouble for monsters than it is helping them."

"Ma'am, please don't think that way," the Captain chimed in. "We're making a difference. If anything, this should drive us to work harder. Asgore may be dangerous, but if he continues on the path he's on, he'll find himself severely outnumbered. His subjects will turn on him, and that will allows us to reclaim the castle."

"I thank you for your input, Captain, but I fear that such a sacrifice is not one I am willing to make. If we sacrifice innocents for our victory, then what have we accomplished save sinking to my ex-husband's level?"

"I understand. Sorry, ma'am."

"It's fine. I know you were trying to help, Captain. But, back to our patient," she stated turning to regard me once more. "Why is it that Asgore was targeting you, Muffet? Did you say something that upset him?"

I turned a bright red. "Well, because of my desperate bakesale, and the fact that I let Frisk through in exchange for money, he was convinced I was selling secrets to the Resistance. I tried to tell him that I didn't even know any secrets, but he sicced the guards on me, and I fled to the sewers."

"I see," she mused. "Well, I suppose we don't have much choice now. Captain Mygalo, would you like to do the honors?"

He nodded, drawing his sword from its scabbard. I cringed, moving to scramble away, but he simply angled it so it was point down and took one of my hands in his. "It's okay," he mouthed silently to me, guiding my fingers to the polished pommel. "Muffet, what you are about to hear is the solemn oath of the Corps of Human Unity with Monster Pals. Do you, Muffet, swear to uphold justice and order for both humans and monsters?"

I looked at him in surprise, my mouth agape. I couldn't stop shifting my gaze from him to Toriel, trying to make sense of what was happening. It wasn't until he cleared his throat that I realized I hadn't answered. "Oh, umm...yes. I swear."

"Do you swear by your life and the lives of those you love, to give up such lives should the need arise, for the good of both humans and monsters?"

"Yes," I murmured. In my mind, all I could think of was my enormous family. Even now, I could imagine Asgore burning their webs to the ground as they skittered away in desperation.

"Do you swear that in all actions you will do your very best to adhere to the principles of the Corps: compassion, loyalty, and bravery?"

"Yes."

He gave me a gentle smile, one that I returned, and said, "Then, as Captain of the Corps, I hereby instate you, Muffet, as a member of the Resistance. May you someday rest easy."

"I think that just about settles everything," Toriel stated. "Captain Mygola, will Muffet continue to stay with you in your home? I'm certain I can find another place more suitable if she likes."

"No, no. I'm fine," I quickly interjected, before catching myself. I didn't know if Araen was really okay with me staying in his home. For all I knew, he was planning on cutting me loose the very next day. "W-well, what I mean is...if that's okay with him," I added bashfully.

Toriel gave him a questioning glance as I held my breath. "It's fine," he agreed. "Living spaces are tight with the raids, and it'd be better to have my home fortified with more individuals. Two people would be more difficult to overtake than just one."

"Very well. You two should go get some proper rest," she suggested. "You've both been through quite the ordeal. Captain, I assume you will teach Miss Muffet our tricks of the trade?"

"Gladly, ma'am."

"Excellent. You know where to find me if you need me. Enjoy your pie." She gave him a playful wink before disappearing through the door. A realization occurred to me as I sat there, watching him gather up our things.

"Oh!"

"What?" he asked.

"I just...I can't believe it took me so long to realize."

He blinked in confusion. "Realize what?"

"You and Toriel." My cheeks burned pink as I tried to formulate an apology. "I'm sorry about using my pheromone web on you. I didn't even think about the fact that you might have someone. N-not that you couldn't potentially have someone, just that it slipped my mind…" My words trailed off as I stammered about the point.

His lips curled into a grin, then he began to chuckle. "Me and Toriel?" he repeated, trying to contain his laughter. "No, no. You've got it all wrong, Muffet. She's a friend, nothing more." As his laughs subsided, he gave a soft sight. "No, I'm afraid I'm quite single. You've no need for concern."

"Oh, that's a relief," I breathed. I finished my tea, now cold, quickly before going to pick up one of his bags, but he quickly scooped it up before I could. When I looked at him, I expected to see a gruff expression for trying to touch something that was his, but instead he was smiling.

"A gentleman always carries the bags," he explained with a wink, sending chills down my body. Together, the two of us left Napstablook's house, and began the long trek to the place I would now call home.

To be continued...


	5. Chapter 5

The Tangled Webs We Weave Ch. 5

 _Swish. Swish. Clang!_ "Again!" Araen barked, before going into another flurry. I barely managed to lift the sword to block him. Letting out loud yelps with each impact. His blows were so powerful. "Again!"

I ducked out of the way of two of his slashes, going again to block an overhead strike, but this time, his sword came from below. With the tip resting against the ribbon on my chest, he sighed. By this point I was breathing heavily. It'd been nearly a week since he'd revived me with his blood and began our training. I still wasn't getting any better.

"You're dead, Muffet," he told me, tapping the practice sword's dull tip against the bow. "Combat is fluid. You can't just memorize my attacks. It's not so simple." As he pulled it away from me, I lowered my sword point first towards the ground.

"It doesn't help," I panted, "that the sword is so heavy. How do you…wear armor...and still swing this so fast?"

"Practice. Years and years and years of it. Unfortunately, I'm having to give you a condensed version. Even still, we won't accomplish anything right now. Let's take a break for some tea."

Giving me a slight smile, he sheathed his sword. I returned his gesture with a grin of my own before following him inside. Since I'd met him, I'd started to become attached to Captain Mygalo. While I still didn't know much about the enigmatic man, I found myself enjoying his company.

He always seemed to busy himself around me. If I ever needed anything, he did his best to procure it for me. He'd even bought tea, so that we could have a daily tea time. Despite that he'd requested that I not sleep beside him, every morning when he woke up with me by my side, he said nothing, slipping out of my embrace to get ready for the day.

Today, however, I intended to change my lack of knowledge of him. I wanted to know more about the gentleman I stayed with. "Araen?" I called softly after I took a sip of my tea. He didn't respond, simply looking up from his cup to signal he was listening. "What was your life like? I mean...before the monsters came?"

His eyes widened as the teacup fell from his hands to shatter against the table, causing him to suddenly give a start. "Oh, I'm sorry. I'll clean that up. Are you okay? You didn't get burned did you?"

"I'm f-fine," I stammered as he quickly went to clean up the mess. It hadn't escaped my notice that he'd dodged the question. Did he still not trust me? "I've killed humans before." He froze, standing there staring at the broken pieces. "I have. Two of them," I murmured. "We needed seven human souls to break the barrier that kept us trapped underground. Two of them managed to get tangled in my webs, so I used my pet to kill them."

"Why are you telling me this?"

"Because I've made mistakes. I'm not perfect, and I've done things in my past that I'm not proud of. You don't have to hide your past from me."

For a moment, he didn't say anything. Finally, he scooped the rest of the broken porcelain into a dustpan to throw it away. "Yes, I do."

"Please?"

"Why do you care so much?" he snapped coldly. He tone caught me off guard. "What difference does my past make to you? You didn't know me. Maybe I'm not hiding it. Maybe I just don't want to tell you." Slamming the trash can shut, he marched to the front of the door. "Grab your weapon. We're going back to training."

"Oh, but…" I looked down at my half-finished cup of tea before he snatched it from my hand and dumped it down the sink.

"Training," he repeated sternly. "Now."

Silently, I picked up my blade and walked outside to wait for him. When we picked up again, this time, he was far more aggressive. I thought he'd been going hard on me before, but now it was as if he was actually trying to hurt me. "Araen," I whined, managing to narrowly avoid one of his attacks. "Please! Not so rough!"

"You think your enemies will be merciful on you, Muffet? When you fight it's an issue of life and death! If you aren't willing to kill your enemies, then they'll more than happily kill you!" His blows were fierce and swift. Each time his weapon clashed against mine, my arms trembled under the force of his strike.

"Araen, please!" I tried again.

"Don't call me that! You don't have that right anymore!" He raised his weapon high to bring it down on me. With a cry, I defensively thrust my blade forward, only to watch in horror as it lanced straight through his chest.

His eyes went wide as his sword fell from his fingertips to the ground. With a cough, a small spurt of blood flew from his lips to land on my face. Then in a blink, he stood there, unharmed, a soft smile on his face.

The very tip of my blade was pressed against his chest, but he'd stopped at just the end of it. Tears were running down my cheeks. "Congratulations, Muffet. You managed to score a point on me. You've come a long way."

"C-captain?" I questioned, unsure of what I'd witnessed. "But I'd just...you were just…" I couldn't find words to describe the horrifying crime I'd thought I had committed.

"Captain? Why Captain?" He turned his head to look at me in confusion.

Unable to think of anything to do, emotions just seemed to overwhelm me. The weapon fell from my grip, and I threw myself at him, wrapping my arms around every part of him I could as I sobbed into his chest. I could still feel the warmth of his blood on my cheeks, slowly being replaced by my tears. "I'm sorry," I choked. "I'm so sorry."

"Why are you sorry?" he asked, slowly stroking my hair. "You did good, Muffet. I'm very proud of you. Please don't cry." His assurances only made me cry harder. It had seemed so real. My entire body trembled as he held me there, gently rocking me.

"I was so scared. I thought I'd killed you. You were bleeding, and then you hated me, and you told me that I couldn't call you Araen anymore and…" I continued rambling on like a frightened child as he caressed me, listening patiently.

"I'm okay, see? I'm just fine. You didn't kill me. And you know you can call me Araen. I don't mind. You're one of my best friends, Muffet. I'm not upset."

Lifting my head, I stared deep into his eyes, to see them full of care and affection. "I'm so sorry I hurt you," I whispered.

"Hurt me? You didn't hurt me." For a long while I didn't say anything, I just clung to him, unsure of what I'd just experienced. "You know what? Let's stop training for today. It's tea time anyway."

"But, didn't we just have tea?" I asked him.

"What are you talking about? This is the first break we've had all day."

I released him from my embrace, watching as he held the door open for me. I shuddered, unsure of what was happening. Entering the house, I was surprised to find that the teacup that had been broken earlier was now hanging from the hook with the others. "Did we…?" I began, before turning to see the look of concern on his face.

"Are you feeling all right?"

His question was a general one, but I knew the meaning behind it. He was worried that I still had the plague. I wanted to tell him I was fine, but instead, I told him the truth. "I don't know. Something happened. Something...weird."

"Is something wrong? You seem spooked. You can tell me." After relaying the story to him, we both sank into the chairs across the table. Sharing a strange silence. "And you say I attacked you?" he questioned.

"Yes. You were so angry. I've never seen you so furious before. I think it may have been because I asked you a question."

"What question did you ask me?"

I looked up at him with sad eyes. "What if it makes you angry at me?" I whispered. "What if it makes you hate me again?"

Reaching across the table, he took one of my hands and held it for comfort. "I swear to you. Any question you ask me next, I will not take offense to it. I won't be angry, and I won't judge you based on it."

"Okay," I agreed. "I trust you. I asked you what you did before we came back to the surface." Immediately, his grip tightened on my hand, but this time, I saw it. His expression wasn't one of anger. It was fear.

"I understand now. I'm sorry, Muffet. You don't want me to answer that question," he told me.

"If you don't want to tell me that's fine...but I want to know more about you."

"If I tell you, you have to understand that the past is the past. Things are different now. I'm a changed man, understand? I'm not how I used to be."

"What do you mean?" Releasing my hand, he pulled back from me, averting his eyes.

Just as he opened his mouth to speak, an alarm started blaring. "Shit," he cursed. "I figured she'd come here when we bumped into each other."

"She?"

"Undyne."

I grimaced, quickly standing up and grabbing my sword. Just as I went to hand him his, he brushed past me, walking to the far wall. "Araen? What are you…?" My words trailed off as he reached up to his bookshelf, selecting a book and causing the wall to rotate.

On the other side was a huge room filled with different weapons and equipment. Reaching to a hook nearby, he lifted a bandolier of knives from it and strapped them around his chest. He then grabbed a crossbow and tossed it to me, much to my shock. "It's easy," he explained. "Put the bolts in the box on the top and turn the crank. Point and shoot. That's it."

"But, Araen!"

"Get to the roof, Muffet. I don't want you getting hurt. You're not ready for combat yet."

"Why do you have all these weapons?"

"Now's not the time for questions," he snapped. "Get to the roof, and give me cover fire. I'll handle Undyne." With that, he dashed out the door, leaving me standing there in shock. Taking one last glance at his weapons room, I did as he instructed and began to climb the back wall of his house to get to the roof.

Once I'd found a good perch, I could see him moving swiftly to meet Undyne. The royal guardswoman was in her armor, wearing a cruel smirk on her lips.

"Captain. Good to see you again. Where's that bounty of yours? When I returned to the sewers neither of you were there. Just some old cobwebs and a freak of nature." So my family had managed to escape safely. That was a large relief.

"For the sake of our old friendship, Undyne, I'm giving you the chance to walk away from this," Araen replied. "I don't want to have to kill you, but you know I will."

"Of course you would. It's in your nature. Honestly, I don't know why I spared you when I had the chance to kill you with your back turned. Probably because Alphy has such a fondness of you. Needless to say, that's not a problem anymore!"

Cocking back her arm, her spear formed in her hand before she launched it straight towards him. He quickly sidestepped the attack, before hurling a barrage of knives at her. Undyne raised her arm, deflecting the knives off of her armor before letting out a maniacal laugh.

"Come on now, Mygalo. I know you can do better than that, har har har! Show me your strength! Show me why they call you 'The Hunter'."

"Undyne, stop this!" he argued. "Can't you see that Asgore is sick? He's insane! He's not the king you once followed!"

"Asgore will always be my king!" she roared, fury suddenly coming to her face. "I'd follow him to the depths of hell and back! Something a vagabond like you would never understand!" With that, the two of them began to go at it fiercely.

Blows clashed and exchanged one after the other, but neither one scored a hit. That's when I saw a rectangular shape sneaking up behind Captain Mygalo. Metatton! I took aim like the Captain instructed and fired.

Just as he raised his arm to strike, the bolt stuck into his back, flipping the switch there. I smiled to myself. I had just managed to save him. Or so I thought until Metatton let out a shudder. Transforming, his body began to shift, growing long legs and patches of pink and metal.

The sound attracted Araen's attention, just before Undyne's spear struck him in the arm, causing him to cry out. Metatton plucked out the bolt, rubbing his butt. "That didn't feel nice," he hummed. Turning, his eyes focused on me, causing a wicked smile to spread across his metal face.

* * *

I heard the transformation behind me before I even knew he was there. When I turned to look, I let down my guard. Undyne lanced her spear through my shoulder causing me to cry out as I fell to the ground.

Her spear vanished to reappear back in her hand, before she gave her obnoxious laugh. "Is that really the best you can do? Maybe it's good we weren't partners. You'd probably have just slowed me down."

"Why are you doing this?" I hissed. "You're a good person, I know it. Why do you let Asgore use you like a puppet? What happens when he turns on you? What happens when he turns on Alphys?"

Rage bubbled in the fish-girl's veins as she kicked me hard in the ribs, sending me to the ground. "Well, Undyne darling, it looks as if you have this handled. Shall I dispatch the other one?" Mettaton asked, staring up at the roof of my house where Muffet was stationed. She was fumbling quickly to take aim again. When she fired, Mettaton quickly dodged out of the way, causing the bolt to embed in my other shoulder.

A look of panic crossed over her features. Her hands were shaking now. "This is hilarious. Tell you what Mettaton, go get her and drag her down here. Then we'll dispatch them both at the same time."

"Oooh, a duet. How positively marvelous!" Just as the android took a step, my hand shot out to grab his ankle. "Hmm?"

"Leave her alone," I huffed. "I'm not done fighting yet."

"Oh, is that so?" Mettaton asked. "Let's see, shall we?" Raising his long leg high into the air, he brought the heel of his stiletto down hard on my left palm, driving it straight through. I screamed in pain, but I couldn't give up. I knew then that my friends were lost to me.

"I'm sorry, Alphys…" I whispered.

Grabbing Mettaton's ankle with my free hand, I twisted his leg, taking him to the ground. "What?!" Undyne cried, forming her spear to thrust it at me, but I quickly dodged to the side.

We broke out into a fierce melee. I avoided her lunges with only a narrow frame of evasion, but finally I found my opening and with a fierce punch that I was certain broke my knuckles, her helmet flew from her.

"You bastard! You'll pay for that!" she screeched, twirling her weapon skillfully to deflect my flurry of punches. Unarmed as I was, there wasn't much I could do against her.

That was when Mettaton got back up and began his assault on me from behind. Using my armored bracers, I caught his powerful kicks, trying my best to juggle my opponents. However, in a two against one, even with all my training, I was quickly running out of energy. "Muffet, run!" I shouted to her, but when I looked at the roof, she was already gone.

Relief filled me. Thank goodness, she escaped. "Ha! When Asgore finds out we managed to take you out, he'll excuse one pathetic spider escaping us," Undyne cackled, seeing my expression.

Slamming her spear into the ground, light formed beneath me, and I realized what she was doing a moment too late. As I tried to step away, the spear lanced upward, making a deep cut straight along my chest and nicking my chin.

"Stop!" Muffet's voice rang out. My blood froze in my veins. No! She couldn't! Running towards her, I shoved her out of the way, just as Undyne's spear erupted beneath her.

She cried out in surprise, as time seemed to slow down. I watched the tip of the ethereal green energy rush up to meet my face. This was it. I was going to die. It froze just before my nose, and for a moment nothing happened.

I blinked, confused as to why she'd stopped her attack. That's when I looked to see Muffet's face frozen in terror. Everything was still. There were no birds chirping, flags were frozen in the middle of the breeze.

Looking behind me towards Undyne and Mettaton, I saw a copy of my body. There was a glowing yellow star in its center, and I could see that the wounds I'd suffered weren't there. A powerful sensation seemed to emanate from the shining beacon.

Was this 'determination'? I limped towards it, unaware of what I was doing. Something was calling me, and when I pressed my hand to it, things began to race backwards. It was like watching a movie being rewound.

Then suddenly, the world moved again. I was standing on my feet, and I heard the transformation of Mettaton behind me. As if the echoes of her attacks remained in my mind, Undyne's spear came exactly where I knew it would.

I dodged it, using my reflexes to grasp her wrist and guide the failed attack exactly where I wanted it. The small heartshaped metal patch on Mettaon's stomach gave way to the green energy as it pierced straight through. Undyne barely had time to react as my elbow flew back to smash into her helmet.

"How in the hell…?" she gasped, rubbing her noseless face in shock.

"Undyne, I'm _begging_ you," I tried again. "Please, don't make me kill you. If not for me, think of Alphys!"

"Stop saying her name! You don't have that right! You think we were ever your friends? Ha! We'd never be friends with scum like you!" she snapped, forming another spear to continue fighting.

Sparks burst from Mettaton's stomach as he began to power down, leaving me in a simple one on one. Her movements were wide. She was too angry to fight in straight concentration anymore. "I don't believe that! We would have been partners! We'd had drinks together, we fought together! I'm not who I was before!"

"I don't believe you!"

"Araen, catch!" Muffet cried, just before she hurled my sword to me.

Catching it mid air, I deflected Undyne's spear from my body. Her attacks were so predictable now. It was as if determination had allowed me to experience our fight beforehand. Finally, with a sweep of my leg, I took hers out from under her.

With a loud crash, she hit the ground on her back, and I quickly thrust my sword so it's edge was pressed against the side of her neck. "Do it!" she growled. "You won. Just hurry up and kill me already."

I didn't say anything for a moment as Muffet came up to me. "Araen, are you okay?"

"Go inside, Muffet," I murmured.

"What?"

"I don't want you to have to see this."

Her eyes widened. "Araen, no! Don't kill her. Please."

"She made her choice. She is forcing my hand."

"Come on Mygalo! Do it! Show me you have the balls."

"Araen, please…"

"Do it!"

Flipping my sword up, I came crashing down with the pommel as hard as I could and struck Undyne straight in the skull. There was a slight shudder before her body fell completely still. My chest was heaving and I feared that I'd cry in front of Muffet.

Standing from the knight, I walked back towards my house. "Tie her up. We'll have to keep her locked up by the resistance." Patting Muffet on the shoulder, I stared at the ground sombrely and walked back inside.

I sat at the table, poured myself a glass of scotch, and stared into the amber liquid. Soon, the booze was gone, but I still stayed where I was. What felt like an eternity passed. The ice cubes had begun to melt, and the tears I feared had buried themselves again.

When a knock came at my door, I didn't even respond. That didn't stop Muffet from peering inside though. "Araen?" she asked cautiously. "Are you all right?" Still, I remained silent. The young spider-woman slipped inside, closing the door behind her. "Undyne is in the resistance's hands now…"

I looked to her. My chest rose and fell in a sigh, as I averted my gaze away again. I couldn't bare to look in her eyes. "I would have killed her," I stated finally. "If you hadn't stopped me, she'd be dead."

There was a brief silence between us. "I know."

"Doesn't that bother you?"

"I wouldn't have stopped you if it didn't bother me," she pointed out. Muffet walked to my counter, removing two mugs and brewing us tea. One of her many arms scooped up my scotch glass, replacing it with the bitter herbal brew, before she sat across from me. "Araen, please talk to me."

"What would you like me to say?" I could tell she was struggling to answer the question. This would have to come out eventually, I knew that. "I'm not a good man, Muffet," I finally stated.

"Don't say that. Of course you are."

"No, I'm not."

One of her hands gently rested on mine. "Then you're in good company. I'm not a good person either," she told me.

Staring at where she'd touched me, I slowly rotated my arm to stroke the back of her hand with my thumb. "Before monsters came to the surface, I was a hunter. Specifically, I was a monster hunter."

Like that, my secret was out. I expected her to withdraw from me, to flinch away out of fear. Instead, she didn't budge. "Tell me about it," she requested. Her voice was gentle and almost understanding.

I couldn't believe that though. Understanding was something she could never hope to have. "My grandfather was a monster hunter. Then my father after him. Then me. It all started a long time ago. A monster showed up in the village. My grandfather was young then, but he had been trained as a guard. When he realized that this monster was holding the body of a kid, he attacked."

"Well, I mean…"

"I'm not finished," I stated firmly. "He mortally wounded this monster, and it limped off to somewhere else. People heralded my grandfather as a hero for having fought valiantly. Naturally, he dedicated the rest of his life to fighting the monster threat."

"Then you became one, too. I get it, Araen. You don't have to…"

"No, you don't!" I shouted, slamming my fist on the table. "You don't get it, Muffet. That monster my grandfather killed was the prince. It was Toriel's son. He had fused his soul with his _human_ brother, and that's why he attacked the people. My grandfather went after Asriel to finish him off, and he never came back. The same happened to my father."

Her eyes widened as she withdrew her hand from me. "No...no, no, no. That's not...I mean, it couldn't be…"

"Afraid so," I murmured. "My grandfather and father were two of the human souls that were acquired for the barrier. When the monsters came to the surface, I was certain it was an invasion. I armed myself, ready to put all of my training to use. I'd kill every last damn monster I came across."

"Araen…"

"Believe me, I tried. At the time, I was a royal guardsman. The king ordered me to stand down and had a parlay with Asgore. An understanding was reached and like that, monsters became friends, not prey. It uh...it took me some time."

"What changed your mind?"

A soft smile came to my lips as I reminisced. "Honestly? Toriel. She and the princess became good friends. As the princess' personal guard, I spent so much time with the two, that eventually, I realized that she was just a person like me. Toriel was kind, warm, supportive...she was the loving mother that the princess never had, and that was enough for me." I frowned. "Then, it was gone. Undyne was transferred to be a royal guardsman at my side. We would both protect the royal family, up until Asgore lost it and murdered the king in a horrible suckerpunch. When I ran to check on the princess, she was dead, and Toriel was cradling her in her arms. Undyne stabbed me in the back of the shoulder. She was the one who'd killed the princess."

"It sounds like you loved this princess very much," Muffet commented. "I'm...sorry for your loss."

"Believe me, I did. It wasn't like you're thinking though. No galavanting and romantic courtship. No, Lily was always more like a younger sibling. She could be irritating at times, but I cared for her deeply. I managed to fight off Undyne while Toriel escaped the castle. Sans came with, and like that the resistance was born. 'Captain' was my title back then, which is why Toriel still calls me that."

Muffet did her best to give me a smile. "You've changed a lot though, right? I mean...it doesn't seem like you still hate monsters." When I didn't say anything, the expression slowly faded away. "You don't still hate them do you? Even me?"

I shook my head. "No, I don't hate monsters. I certainly don't hate you."

"Even though I've killed humans before?"

I froze. She'd killed humans? Of course she had. Toriel had told me such. How could I have forgotten that? "Why did you kill them?"

"Oh...umm…" She began to stumble over her words.

"Well?"

"I don't...know?"

I took a sharp breath. "You don't know?" I repeated in disbelief.

"I mean...they just kind of stumbled into my webs, and humans squish spiders and so I…" Her eyes began to water. "I'm sorry."

That's when it struck me. Immediately, the anger faded away from me. I stood, moving to the other side of the table. Taking her hands in mine, I pulled her to her feet. There was fear in her eyes, but I simply drew her into my arms and held her there.

"I...I don't understand," she murmured. "I thought you'd be angry."

"No. I'm not angry. I know how it feels Muffet. I guess you and I are a lot more alike than I thought."

Her dark eyes sparkled as she stared up at me. Without even thinking, I pulled her closer and pressed my lips against hers.

A shy squeak escaped her lips before she wrapped her own limbs around me and kissed me back. I shuddered in her embrace, savoring the bitter-sweet taste of tea. I couldn't remember the last time I'd ever willingly kissed someone. Honestly, if five years ago, someone had told me one day I'd make out with a spider woman I'd have laughed in their face.

One of her arms slipped between us, grasping tightly onto my shirt. I went to pull away, but her grip on me tightened. She wasn't letting me separate. I didn't realize she'd been so eager for this.

A sharp pain lanced through my lip as she bit down. I could feel her intoxicating venom flooding me again. "Hmmf?!" I cried, trying to wiggle free, but still she didn't let me go. Instead, she pushed me back towards my bed.

Muffet shoved me hard, sending me onto my back.

"Muffet, what are you…?"

With two quick hisses, web shot from her ensnaring my arms in thick silky cocoons. I grunted, trying to break free, but she wouldn't have it. She clambered over my body, in a weird alien-like crawl. As she did, she began to bound my legs beneath me, moving all the way up, past my knees and to my thighs.

That's when I saw it. In her eyes, there was a strange purple gleam. It was feral and raw, unlike anything I'd ever seen before. "Fufufu," she giggled, looming over me. "Go ahead and keep struggling my darling prey. I've always loved it when my snacks wear themselves out. The sweat and adrenaline add a nice little flavor."

With that, she sank her fangs into my throat, injecting me with more of her venom.

To be continued...


End file.
